Are You an Ecovator?
Submitted by staff on Sat, 2008-07-19 11:00.COIN are looking for eco-homeowners to open their doors during Open House weekend
Submitted by Tracey Todhunter of the Low Carbon Communities Network
Image generously supplied by Shtig
Most readers will be familiar with the Heritage Open day scheme which runs each September, where buildings of architectural or historic interest are open to the public. This year the Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN), plan to extend the scheme to include eco renovation projects. read more »
Not-so-sweaty Betty
Submitted by staff on Thu, 2008-07-17 15:16.Submitted by Rebecca Winward
When he was little, my brother-in-law used to think armpits were the rudest part of the human body - the mere mention of them would have him dissolving into giggles. Of course, he's now all grown up and knows the folly of his former ways, just for the record (in case he's reading this).
They may not be rude, but pits can certainly be offensive sometimes. And living in fear of the possibility that we might (gasp!) smell, the toiletries market in the UK is huge - in 2006 we spent an estimated £4.17 BILLION!
All very well and good, you might think, but have you considered the impact that your daily dose of deoderant has on the environment? The packaging, the chemicals, the energy utilised in manufacture... it all adds up. Plus, despite a variety of formulas intended to do so, no-one's yet come up with one that feels nice 'n' natural on your skin.
'Natural' deos have been around for yonks, and I've tried a whole bunch of them - herbal and floral, spray and roll-on, that funny putty stuff from Lush... but I've found nothing works quite as well as the rather excellent crystal variety. Scoff you might (at first - so did I), but a sweep or two of this mineral marvel and I was converted. read more »
Save the World with Home Baked Bread
Submitted by staff on Wed, 2008-07-23 15:27.The Resurgence Trust launches ‘Slow Sunday’ on 27 July 2008.
In each issue of Resurgence magazine one Sunday will be nominated when readers will be invited to take part in simple actions that symbolise a rejection of commercialism, a passion for the planet and a desire for change.
The first Slow Sunday will take place on 27th July 2008 and the theme is baking bread.
The Resurgence Trust takes its inspiration from two of the most profound philosophies of our time – E.F. Schumacher’s ‘Small is beautiful’ and Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. read more »
Living on the Edge of Eden
Submitted by staff on Thu, 2008-07-10 11:41.New Paul McGowan show coming to Eden this summer
Supplied by the Eden Project
The acclaimed British artist Paul McGowan will be staging 'Living on the Edge,' his first major show in six years, at the Eden Project in Cornwall from August 8. Inspired by Eden, his new work will be presented in the spectacular surroundings of the Mediterranean Biome as part of a 12-month residency.
The first installation will feature two huge paintings suspended from the Biome’s roof structure and 12 new works on easels.
Heralding the show as a major event for Eden, creative director Peter Hampel said: “Paul is throwing himself into a long residency here with a potent brew of amazing energy, ambition and creativity and a desire to help illuminate and draw attention to key Eden concepts." read more »
Car Booty!
Submitted by staff on Mon, 2008-07-07 17:48.
Sustained's BE At Home editor, Rebecca Winward, gets down to the old car boot sale to relish the sweet taste of thrift.
I've said it before, and no doubt I'll say it again, but no matter how many times I extol the virtues of car boot sales I'm still pleasantly surprised by the delights to be found at such places.
Take last Sunday for example. I woke up early (ish), so I got up and went straight out to our local sale. I've been meaning to do it for ages, but never quite managed to drag my bones out of bed early enough to make it worthwhile going (leave it until a more respectable time and all the really good stuff's gone!). read more »
Stop Wasting Food
Submitted by staff on Mon, 2008-07-07 13:10.'Stop wasting food', urges Brown
Article supplied by the Soil Association on 7 July 2008
The PM recommends a hands-on approach to checking for freshness and firmness
Britons must stop wasting food in an effort to help combat rising living costs, Gordon Brown has said as he travelled to the G8 summit in Japan. The PM said "unnecessary" purchases were contributing to price rises, and urged people to plan meals in advance and store food properly. read more »
My Grass Roots heroes
Submitted by staff on Mon, 2008-07-07 07:55.
Submitted by Marc De'ath
At Sustained we love to hear about people or groups who set about changing something in the community. In our home town Colchester we are seeing off-the-shelf housing being built at a rate of knots and every pocket of green space seems to be snapped up for development. read more »
If Chocolate was Carbon...
Submitted by staff on Fri, 2008-06-27 14:41.Just as I thought I would never emerge from the mountain of paperwork on my desk today I had a phone call from the very wonderful Dave Hampton, sometimes referred to as the Carbon Coach to the rich and famous (and believe me that's a good thing). Dave and I are hoping to meet up next week at an event I'm going to - actually if you have a burning desire to see what I look like you can watch an interview with me here which explains why I'm leaving the garden at this crucial time of the year to spend 2 days in London. read more »
Ecover in Ethiopia
Submitted by staff on Tue, 2008-06-24 08:46.
Submitted by Marc De'ath
Our friends and supporters Ecover, has today launched a three-year partnership with WaterAid to support a project in Ethiopia, providing sustainable and ongoing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. read more »
It's all me, me, me...
Submitted by staff on Thu, 2008-06-19 17:34.Submitted by Rebecca Winward
Well hello there. Just thought I'd pop up a little note about myself, since I'm the latest addition to the Sustained fold. I'll be sharing what I've found out on all topics homes-y, from 'green' cleaning products to eco-friendly housebuilding and all sorts of things in between.
Here's 10 things you may (or may not!) like to know about me: read more »
